


solo mission, winter in kaminari no kuni

by JustAnotherBlonde



Category: Naruto
Genre: Mission Fic, Shino Week 2021, Snow, Solitude, Winter, also featuring kikaichu working hard, shino is introspective and wise and that's why we love him, snow is beautiful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:35:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28804377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherBlonde/pseuds/JustAnotherBlonde
Summary: shino week: a chance for us to rectify the grievous dearth of shino-centric content. what’s not to love about this introverted and philosophical master of insects?! please enjoy this quiet one-shot of shino and his kikaichū on a snowy mission in kaminari no kuni.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 7
Collections: Written stories for Shino Week 2021





	solo mission, winter in kaminari no kuni

**Author's Note:**

> as far as shino week prompts go, i was first inspired by day 2 [winter], but ended up filling day 1 [solitude] and day 6 [new outfit] AND [a mission], all in less than 700 words 😊🐞

He’d never experienced a winter quite like this. In Konoha, winter was characterized primarily by the New Year’s festival, a slight drop in temperature, and the nigh imperceptible shortening of days before the solstice. Few people even noticed it, but Shino’s kikaichū always did. They did not hibernate, per se, but there was always a slight… _resistance_ to them in winter, an echo of hibernating habits long bred out of them. Snow was not a part of Konoha’s winter, but here in Kaminari no Kuni, they claimed the season hadn’t truly begun until the first snow.

Snowfall could be surprisingly gentle.

Like now: on a backdrop of pale brown leafless trees, soft snowflakes spiraled through the sky, wandering wayward paths to the ground. Larger clumps fell faster, while the tiny individual crystals danced sideways, reminiscent of small children idling along, reluctant to arrive at school. Similarly, the kikaichū were loath to leave the warmth of Shino’s body and explore the snowy air. No matter, he could perform his sentry duties without them for now.

When the wind blew, the flurries were swept sideways, pushed in the same direction by an invisible hand. Not unlike shinobi. The snowfall cycled through several patterns characterized by trajectory direction: dropping vertically, wandering horizontally, surging diagonally. It was very soothing to watch.

To prevent himself and his kikaichū from being lulled into inattentiveness, Shino forced a handful of them into the air. They found it challenging: the wind, the cold, the snowflake obstacles. There was a reason you rarely saw insects flying through rain or snow, but this reason was insufficient to prevent the kikaichū from doing their job.

Snow was collecting on Shino’s sleeves, hood, and shoulders. He hadn’t noticed until his insects alerted him. Good, it would provide some camouflage. If all the dark-barked tree branches where he sheltered were tipped with snow and he in his black parka was not, it would look conspicuous. The flakes landed with such tenderness that he had not even felt them. He extended his arm and took a moment to appreciate their delicate touch on his bare palm and the back of his hand. Could anyone who encountered such gentleness still be spurred into battle?

The field below, the open tract of land between the boundary Shino protected and the woods opposite, was now completely white with snow. Even an enemy camouflaged in white would leave tracks. Shino sent more kikaichū into the air, spreading them out so that they were invisible to the naked eye, forming a surveillance net that spanned the field.

Steadily, the flurry of snow thickened. The kikaichū held their positions, wings straining in the frigid blizzard. By contrast, Shino was quite warm in his parka and fur-lined boots, items provided for him courtesy of the Raikage, specially designed for this mission. Winter in Kaminari no Kuni required appropriate clothing. Indeed, attire _should_ change with the seasons. Wearing the same thing all year without variance was folly. People might come to recognize you for your distinctive style. Quite unbecoming of a shinobi. And yet, many also capitalized on their notoriety and unique appearance. Perhaps it did not matter one way or the other. Regardless, Shino was grateful for the warmth.

Visibility reduced by the snowstorm, Shino monitored the area through his kikaichū. He felt, momentarily, like a spider at the center of its web, alert to the thrumming of each and every thread. The feeling quickly passed. Spiders thought they were cleverer than they really were. Insects, on the contrary, lived honestly, without pretense, knowing their worth yet never flaunting it. They completed their missions without complaint, expecting no accolades or reward. They were, inherently, good.

There. The enemy had arrived. It was time to fight.


End file.
